The National tribune., 1887-05-26
SUNDAY MEDITATION.
Practical Duties Taught bJ a Study OF the Inter-
national sunday-schOOl Lesson Appointed for
June ). Ex.. 10 liz

Zone reading these notes should first carefully
study the paragraph from the Holy Scriptures ~
indicated above.l
SUBJECT: THE MAMA.
After the children ofIsrael crossed the Red Sea,
they found themselves at Baal-zephOn. That
was their first stopping place in Asia, it being
their fifth station. They were now in Arabia,
striking out into the Sinaitic peninsula. Once
safely over the Red Sea with his people, Moses
extended his rod and the Egyptians were
drowned. Many eOrpses were washed up on
the eastern shores Of the Gulf JOsephus tells
us that hosts Of weapons were alsOstrewn along
the waters edge, furnishing useful outfits to the
Israelites for future battles. Baal-zephon was
reached on the morning of the fourth day cut
from Egypt. The Israelites did not sleep the
night before, but We're in great excitement,
pushing their way through the highway thrown
up miTaeuloGsly across the sea. They were
now % miles from Ramese5. They prObebly
rested there a little time. They were tired.
No enemies could now follow and urge them
to haste. Moses composed a grand hymn.
which the people memOrized and rendered re-
spOnsiyely with great joy It is not thought
they remained more than "a hours. They must
have left soon, If, as many think, they reached
Marah after three days in time 20 keep the
Sabbath, the first Sabbath Of the Exodus
Marah is 20 miles from Baal-zephon, or %
from Rameses. For three days they had been
FIVE to SIX feet in circumference, one To two
feet deep, containing two TO three barrels Of
water, grecnish and saltish. 1t was very Bit
ter, and hence the people cried out "Marahl :"
and hence the name OF the place. It IS bitter
now, when low, and therefore the sweetening
by Moses had only temporary effect. Marah is
now known as HprarG.
Their seventh station was Elm, 10 miles
from Marah, and 10j from Rameses. There
Of aVtH
20 palm trees offered shade Elm is n beauti-
full oasis about one mile wide and extending a
long way northeast. Sinai, 40 miles Off IS yisi-
bic. They stopped three weeks It was %
days after leaving Egypt that they left Elm
Rameses to SuecOth. 1 day; Suecoth to Ethan,
/ Ethan to Pi-hahiroth, 1 at Baal-zephOn,
/ BAal-zephOn to Marah, 3; Marah to Film,
! at Elin, 2l. Elm is in the GAaTaAdeI Vac
ley.
They next encamped by the Red Sea, IS
miles from Elm. They reached this place 30
days out from Rameses. We do not know the
duration Of their stay.
The ninth camp was in the Wilderness Of
Sin, NOV called DeBJet and Ramleh, % miles
from encampment By the Red Sea, 133 from
Egypt, 81 from Sinai.
Let US notice the following facts:
/. By the time the people reached the Will
derness Of Sin, they found themselves without
food. 1t seems they had had plenty in Egypt
The supplies with which they started were ex-
hausted. They took enough with which TO 90
straight through to Canaan. As to kind, see
Nu., I1:5.
2. The people murmured against Moses and
Aaron. They wished they had remained in
Egypt, where they were not forced to hunger.
(Ps., 1O6 2j.J 1t would not be good policy Tor
shareholders to starve their bondmen.
3. 1t Is probable Moses, following his usual
custom, pOWerless in himself dependent totally
on God, offered prayer for aid in the emergency.
The peoples condition was itself prayer 10
God.
4. This prayer was answered BY supplies Of
quails at evening (Ps., 1o:Z7i NJ, II: 81 aud
mamma mornings.
>. We now give special study % mama, no
ticing several fsets-
/. The name means what il j.?
2 Each person was permitted to gather about
five pints.
,. It would not keep over tiH next day. ex-
cept that collected Oh Fridays which Wogli last
over Saturdays, nome descending again tiH sun
day MORNINGS.
/. Persons fouad on every Friday double
quantity provision Cor two days
3. We end different names applied to il
a. Corn Of Heaven. lPA, = "a
b. Angels food. Ps-, - .; WISH, 16: 90
The gods Of old we're represented as eating am
brOsia. and this was believed 10 be the secret Of
their continuance in life.
c. Bread FROM Heaven. Tx, 16: 1, Is; Pa,
l05; 40; So. John. 8: 81, &C..
q. Spiritual meat. II Cor, 10 81
o. We have items Of description OF mamma
q. Like bie!iium. (Nu., il:7)
B. Like h0ar-frUst. TX, IS ~
c. Tasted like waters made from honey.
tEx., 10: 3ll
d. II was small like coriauder seed. (Ex.,
l6: II, 81; M, u:T.l The resemblance 70
cOriander seed was not il color, but in size. In
color it was like bdellium. BY bdellium, we
mean drop Of white gum resembling small
pearl.
Z. II was the food Of Israelises frvn the VIII
derness OF Sin to Gilgal, viz, for 40 years.
(16:3j.)
6. The daily demand was about 81, 466 bush
els, amounting in 20 years to 1,370,OO2, 500
bushels.
9. Its source was miraculous The fact Of
double quantity on Friday morning, and on
no other morning, is proof Of supernatural ORR
gin. Then, the quantity was totally beyond
the capacity of nature.
10. 4 bottle Of it was reserved 10 be laid up
before the Lcrd, TO be kept for generations. It
was ultimately to be put into the Ark Of Testi-
mOny soon 10 be built. Meanwhile it was care
fully kept. After the temple was constructed
the pot Of mamma was put into the Ark, located
in the Holy Of HOLES. This portion Of mamma
was mlracuIOusly Kept from spOIllng. 10 does
not exist now. Heb, 9:4.) It is possible
Moses waited till the Ark and Tabernacle were
made. The mamma was 10 fall 40 years, and
immediate preservation was not necessary.
IL. lt was an emblem Of Christ. (St. John,
s: 1851 Hence our hymn, Bread Of the
world, IN mercy broken"
There was a substance found in the wider
ness growing naturally, and the bread fur
nished miTaculOusIy 50 resembled 10 that il is
possible they mistOok it for ordinary mamma.
The article so growing in that section exgdes
from trees, but in no such abundance as was
needed by the millions OF pilgrims. Ii woald
be impossible, of whole year, 70 gather
much more than one-fOurth OF a ton.
Prof Stowe calculates 100000 pounds
would be required each week for 3O0O,GGO
persons. Then, the mama now found and
to some extent commodity Of commerce,
has not the miraculous quality Of keeping for
As hours only on Fridays aud Saturdays. Then,
the mamma furnished the Israelites was not an
exudatiOn. but was found on the ground. And
the natural mama is not a growth throughout
the wilderness of Sinai, but the product OF onl y
a district. There is no way 20 account for such
| number Of persons out in wilderness having
food save systematically. The article Of COM
meTce can be found for only portion Of each
year-AIay and jane. Then, the call to pre-
serve some Of II suggests it was something pecu-
! liar, since one could find specimens of it any
day fit were a natural product. To save some
common tamarind mamma, an article Of traffic,
would not be necessary.
We learn it was Gods purpose to prove the
| people; 10 see whether they would trust him
for food from day to day. (Deu., 8: 2, is. }
Similarly he tried them at Narah Us. d